To the envy of adults everywhere, kindergartners in Auburn, Maine, will get iPad 2s as part of an educational pilot program. CC BY: Toca Boca

April 11, 2011

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Shoppers looking to snag a new iPad 2 are still facing shortages in stores, but for some families in Maine, getting a hold of the hot Apple device is now child's play. Last week, the school district in Auburn, Maine, approved a $200,000 pilot program to buy 285 iPad 2 tablets for its kindergartners. "What we're seeing is that this is an essential tool — even more important than a book," says school superintendent Tom Morrill, as quoted at The Huffington Post. It's a learning tool they need to have." Morrill says he will try to get grants and donations to fund the program, and only use public money if necessary. Some kids will start getting their iPads in May, with a complete rollout expected this fall. But is the iPad 2 really a smart buy for 5-year-olds?

No, this is a big waste: Sure, the iPad can be "a great teaching tool," says Nicole Martinelli at Cult of Mac, but kids this young should probably be "pelting soft blocks at each other" and finger-painting, not "staring at individual computer screens." Plus, they "probably already spend enough time playing with their parents' computers.""Should kindergartners have iPads?"